Satellite Rural Vet Labs

Cherehani Africa

Satellite Rural Vet Labs

Targeted treatment and deterrent of abuse of antibiotics for animals in rural areas through a network of satellite veterinary laboratories.

Nairobi, Kenya

Kenya

Nonprofit

There is a significant lack of access to veterinary laboratory services for diagnosing livestock diseases, which is critical for targeted treatment and surveillance of drug usage. This leads to misuse of antibiotics in feeds and water with farmers hoping for preventive treatment and faster growth, which mostly leads to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that renders treatments ineffective. Francis (2022) highlights that farms in Sub-Saharan Africa are often located far from government and private labs. The most reported challenge among farmers is their inability to submit samples due to distance, leading to delays in disease diagnosis and treatment, misuse of antibiotics, infiltration of substandard medication and preventable livestock losses https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=121948 Research conducted in slaughterhouses in western Kenya revealed that 52.3% of samples collected from the environment, animal carcasses, and workers contained bacterial isolates, with 43.8% of isolates exhibiting AMR https://amr.cgiar.org/blog/antimicrobial-resistance-landscape-slaughterhouses-western-kenya-microbiological-case-study?utm_ A network of solar-powered satellite labs in rural areas will serve as a crucial hub for targeted treatment, antibiotic surveillance, and a point of reference and education for veterinary health workers.

We are creating a network of solar-powered, containerised veterinary laboratories in rural areas to enable targeted treatment of animals for millions of smallholder farmers, while also broadening the scope of disease and drug surveillance in these regions. We operate our network of satellite laboratories through a proprietary digital platform that facilitates sample registration and result sharing. Our model enables trained and certified veterinarians to collect samples directly from farms, which are then analyzed in our labs to determine the most effective treatment. This platform integrates generative artificial intelligence (AI) to provide personalized medical and dietary recommendations alongside lab results, empowering rural veterinarians with advanced tools. With a single click, the AI can vocalize results in English or Swahili, supporting veterinary officers who may struggle with written English. Veterinarians in the communities leverage data from results to advice farmers against using antibiotics in feed and water for animals, while clearly demonstrating the impacts to food and to the health of the animals. Our platform streamlines the collection and dissemination of disease surveillance data to the Kenya Veterinary Board (a statutory body) and other research and development partners.

Farmers; expanding the network of veterinary laboratories will help to identify livestock with antibacterial resistance, develop interventions and recommend the right antibiotics to be used. Test results from the laboratory will discourage farmers from the use of antibiotics in feed and water as a way of preventing diseases for animals. This will improve productivity and reduce losses. Veterinarians; bringing satellite veterinary laboratories near them will increase their efficiency in disease handling and weeding out substandard and falsified antibiotics. Leveraging artificial intelligence will improve their understanding of administration and follow up of antibiotics in their practise, the recommendations will be available in both English and Swahili. Policy makers; Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Ministry of Health, Kenya Veterinary Board (KVB), Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) and Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) will benefit from our expanded data.